Before The Storm
by Covica
Summary: Cameron works at Abstergo as an undercover agent for the Assassins, as it was almost tradition. She has watched many subjects come and go, but there's something about subject 16...  Bit AU, Lucy doesn't work at Abstergo until Desmond's arrival.
1. Introduction

Hello everyone! This is my first fanfic here, and I'd LOVE if you could read and review it :) Please say if you didn't like something, if you did like something, if you found some mistakes here and there... anything that can help!

Please! Review, if you don't then I don't know if I'm doing well with this story or if I should continue :(

**Assassin's Creed and its characters don't belong to me, in fact, nothing belongs to me, cept for this story and my OC.**

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><p>Cameron's Job was to help Dr. Warren Vidic with the subjects, making sure nothing went wrong in the sessions and keeping the records about anything that happened during them.<p>

Seems easy enough, right? At least, that's what she thought. It was always the same story. The subject would hop on the Animus, relive some memories of his ancestors, Vidic would either find something interesting or not. It didn't matter. They were always murdered after Vidic found what he wanted.

She tried to never get attached to any of them, but sit always saddened her when she had to "let them go".

They were brothers, in a way, after all. She was part of the Assassins, the same ones who had ordered her to work at Abstergo as an undercover agent and inform them of any findings on the Pieces of Eden.

So here she was now, sitting in front of a desk next to the Animus, finishing the latest subject's paperwork. The guards had taken him a few hours ago, after Vidic had gathered all the info he contained in his memories.

"_He's worthless now" he had said._

Cameron sighed and looked at the clock. **"1 am… Seems like I'm not leaving anytime soon"**

Trying to speed up the process she stopped glancing at the clock and submerged completely in the words she was typing.

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><p>"<strong>Finally! Think I should go home and sleep a few hours now." <strong>She said while turning off the computer. **"Maybe even days…"**

Sleeping for days… That seemed very tempting, she thought. She was about to take off her lab coat when the metal doors opened to reveal Vidic and two guards escorting a man.

"**Just put him in the observation room! YES, the one with the bed, I'll enter the code for you, do I have to explain everything? I still have to enter his information in the compu-" **Vidic interrupted himself when he saw the dumbfounded Cameron next to the desk. **"Oh, you're still here? Magnificent, you can do it then"**

"**But… Doctor Vidic… I was just about to-"**

"**I'll be back in a few hours, I have things to take care of. Evaluate him, see if those thugs didn't hurt him too badly"**

And that was the last thing he said before handling her the man's documentation and exiting the room.

Cameron stared out the window, almost seeing her freedom escaping and disappearing into the distance. Sighing, she turned around to see the guards had already put him in the room and closed the door.

"**Miss, he's inside the observation room. Still a bit drugged, so he shouldn't be a problem." **The guard said before leaving her alone.

Taking one last glance at the clock (and seeing it was 2:30 by now)she started heading to the Observation room.

"**I guess I should get to it. Maybe I'll be able to sneak an hour or two of sleep".**

When she arrived in front of the door, she entered the code into the lock next to it and waited for the door to open.

Taking a look inside, she saw the soon to be Subject 16 on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He seemed pretty tall, had dark blonde hair, fair skin and had bruises on his arms and face. She started getting worried about the guards hurting him too much.

Snapping out of it when she noticed his eyes on her, she searched through the papers for his name and spoke in a calm voice.**"****Clay Kaczmarek?"**

The man kept staring at her, examining the girl head to toe. She seemed light enough to push aside and make a run for it, but he still felt dizzy from whatever those freaks had injected him with to knock him out.

She was a bit on the short side, maybe 5'5, slender and long dark brown hair. She had pretty eyes too, a light shade of green from what he could see from there.

The girl cleared her throat and walked towards him, kneeling down next to his bed. **"Clay?" **She repeated. **"I'm Cameron Shields, Doctor Vidic's assistant. You can ask me anything, I'll try to answer as much as I'm allowed to. **She told him while analyzing him for something wrong. Everything seemed in place, aside from the bruises and small wounds here and there.

"**Where am I?" **he asked.

"**Abstergo Labs. Could you sit down please? I need to check your reflexes."**

16 doubted at first, but figured that if she were to harm him, she would have done so by now, so he slowly moved over to the edge of the bed and sat down.

"**Why me?"**

Cameron looked up at him and then looked at his knee, smiling when she verified his reflexes were alright. She stood up, straightening her black pencil skirt and then sitting down next to him.

"**Playing the clueless won't save you, I'm afraid. You know what you are, and we know too" **she said with a smile. **"Not only that, but according to these papers **–she showed her the folder she was holding- **Doctor Vidic has found that you are one of Ezio Auditore's descendant."**

"**I don't know anything about him"**

"**I know. But, um, you see… Well, everything will be explained by Vidic- Erm, Dr. Vidic in the morning." **Placing a hand on his shoulder, she continued. "**You should rest. It's gonna be a long day."**

Clay looked at the hand on his shoulder then at her. She seemed nice, but he couldn't forget she worked for the same organization that had captured him.

Standing up, she gave one last look at 16 and said "**If you need anything, you can ask me. I…" **Giving a quick glance at the corner of the room like if something was there (_Probably a camera, _Clay had thought) she whispered in an almost inaudible voice. "**I'm sorry". **Then exited the room.

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><p>"<em>Yet another one. Why do they keep me here? Not even 1 subject, not even one of subjects' ancestors knew where the pieces of Eden were located. I'm always stuck to watching them walk towards their death"<em>

Cameron turned off the computer once again after she had finished entering Subject 16's information, then headed to the couch. She had decided to sleep there, figuring it'd take her longer to arrive at her apartment.

Trying not to think about the new subject's fate, it wasn't long till she finally had fallen asleep.

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><p>Thank you so much for reading, please review!<p> 


	2. Animus

Hiiii :D Here's the second chapter. I really hope you like it. I'd suggest listening to "Breaking Down" by Florence + The Machine if you like listening to music while reading, since I was listening to it while writing this chapter and I think I let myself get kinda influenced by the song at the end f the chapter, haha.

Special thanks to:

Wickie4

As always, **please** review! You don't have an idea of how **important** it is to me that you do. Not only it helps me know what I should change, keep, etc, but it puts a smile on my face when I know somebody read my story.

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><p><em><strong>BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BE-<strong>_

"**I heard you, I heard you, sheesh!" **Said Cameron, turning off her cell phone's alarm. "_It's only 5 am too… I should get everything ready before Vidic gets here, or else I'll be in trouble_**"**

After stretching her arms, she got up from the couch, and tried to tidy herself up a little, she was still wearing yesterday's clothes. _"At least the lab coat covers most of them" _she thought.  
>Heading for the desk, she grabbed Subject 16's folder with his information, and turned on the computer once she was in front of the desk. Then she walked to the Animus and entered "Clay Kaczmarek" as the subject's name, so only the subject would be missing for everything to be ready.<p>

"_I feel so bad for waking him up after he had such a rough night… but I can't let him sleep more, Vidic will be here in an hour and if he doesn't see him on the Animus, I'm as fried as a potato." _Cameron's stomach grumbled in protest after that last thought, to which she decided to leave breakfast for the next break, lamenting she hadn't brought a snack bar or something like it in her purse.

"_Talking about food, I still need to order 16's breakfast. I don't think the guys at the kitchen know about him" _With that, she picked up the phone and called the kitchen, asking them to bring one of the breakfast plates to the lab's door, where she would pick it up.

After hanging up, she went to the observation room to find 16 asleep, like she expected. Leaving the door opened, she walked slowly, almost tiptoeing, until she got next to the bed, where she softly grabbed 16's arm and shook him a little.

"**Mr. Kaczmarek? I'm sorry to wake you up so early… but you need to get up, breakfast will be here soon"**

The man shot his eyes opened and grabbed Cameron's arm with a strong grip. Pushing her towards the bed he threw her there and jumped off it, dashing towards the door and exiting the room.  
>Cameron recovered from the shock and ran after him outside of the room, jumping over the chair he had pushed aside in his escape, and landing on his back, she tackled him to the floor, where she took his arms and pinned them down.<p>

"**I want to do all this the easy way. I don't like using force. Now, either you behave or else Vidic will have to put you in a coma. He's done it before, you know?" **Cameron said, visibly pissed off. She hated doing this, she hated chasing down her allies, but she had to do it or else her cover would be blown. 16, still struggling against her grip, looked behind him to see her face with her hair falling on each of it.

"**You're no mere assistant. You certainly didn't even look like you could pin me down. Just what **_**are**_** you?"**

"**It doesn't concern you. Will you cooperate or do I have to knock you out? It'd be a shame really, this place sucks but I gotta admit their food is awesome. You'd be missing on a whole new experience."**

"**Whatever. It's not like I can go anywhere, I just noticed that door has a lock" **He said, pointing with his head to the exit, where a big nice lock was next to it.

Cameron snickered and then got off him, offering her hand after she had stood up, which 16 rejected, getting up by himself. Just then there was a knock on the door.

"**Hmph. Sit down there. I'll go get your breakfast. No funny business either. There are enough guards outside to kill you faster than you say "pancakes"" **Cameron said, with her stomach betraying her again with a loud grumble.

"**Seems like you're the one who needs to try that "whole new experience"" **16 sarcastically , she walked to the door, making sure 16 was far enough for her to notice if he were to make a run for it again. She took the breakfast and thanked the guy after she had opened the door, then walked over to 16 and set the breakfast on the desk in front of him. It looked delicious, which just made her facedesk (in her mind, of course) for not ordering something for her too. Trying to take it off her mind, she turned her back to the desk and started walking towards the Animus to make sure (again) that everything was in order, when she heard 16 talking to her.

"**I suppose I could share my breakfast. I'm not that hungry." **

Cameron looked at him and examined his face, but didn't see anything that'd lead her to believing he was joking. "**Are you sure? I couldn't… Ah, who am I kidding. I haven't had anything since yesterday at 2 pm. I'll just take your toast, that'll keep me happy till I have my break" **She said, walking to the desk again and taking the toast from his plate while sitting on the edge of the desk. "**Thank you. Sixt- Mr. Kaczmarek I-"**

"**Just call me Clay, you make me feel like an old man every time you say "Mister"." **

"**Heh, alright. I just… I want to apologize for keeping you here- and tackling you too, I guess. I wish I could do something to help you, I really do. But alas, I'm just a mere assistant."**

Clay looked at her face, but he didn't believe her. He was sure she had made that speech to all the other subjects before him. She was just trying to gain his trust so she could do whatever those freak experiments she assisted Vidic in. He was sure she had done that before, but what stopped him from getting _her _trust? He still had hope; he still could get out of this madhouse. Smiling, he said:

"**Don't worry; I know it's just your job. Which sucks by the way"**

Cameron laughed and replied** "That it does. How are you feeling? Those bruises looked nasty last night" **Clay moved his plate aside after finishing it and got his feet on the desk. "**Forgetting I'm being held captured, I feel just great. I could take being tackled to the floor two or three more times. It just makes your day, you know?"**

"**In my defense, you did throw me aside." **She remarked. "**And do you know just how **_**fun**_** it is to run in high heels?"**

"**You must've had the time of your life." **He said. "**So what am I supposed to do in here? And who is that Eric you mentioned last night?"**

"**Er- Eric? Uh… I think you mean Ezio Auditore. You see, that machine over there is an Animus. It practically lets us see your ancestors' memories, which are locked away in your DNA. Vidic has found you are the descendant of "Eric". He needs something that is inside of one of his memories. I can't tell you what, since not even I know about it." **Cameron said, feeling a bit bad for lying about that last part.

"**I see". **Clay responded, not sure if she was messing with him. It all seemed too sci- fi like. Looking to his right, he saw a few white couches that were in front of the Animus. What did these guys have with everything being white? **"**_Apple lovers" _Clay thought. Just then he noticed the white lab coat on one of the couches. "_Right, she wasn't wearing it this morning" _He thought looking at Cameron and examining her more closely, having her just a few inches away, sitting on the desk. She had a nice body. Long legs, slim waist, good looking breasts. "_Looks like one of the girls at the clubs I go to. The things I'd do to her, given other circumstances."._Snickering, he got his feet off the desk and stood up, heading to the windows.

Cameron on the other hand wanted to get closer to him, to gain his trust, to run out of there with him and never look back. She told herself she had thought about this with every other subject, but she couldn't lie to herself. Clay Kaczmarek was very good looking, and he seemed like he had a strong personality. Would they even have a chance, if he even reciprocated her feelings? Vidic wouldn't care and he'd probably continue everything as planned, even if Cameron threatened to quit. Ha, like quitting was an option. She'd probably get killed too, she knew too much.

The door suddenly opened, letting Vidic inside and scaring Cameron to hell, who quickly got off the desk and almost ran for her lab coat.

"**Good morning, Doctor Vidic! Everything is ready for you. Shall we start?" **Vidic looked at Clay, who was now standing next to the Animus.

"**Mr. Kaczmarek! I'm glad to see you're doing well. You seem less aggressive too, perfect! Just get on the Animus and we'll get started. I'm sure Miss Shields has explained everything to you?"**

"**If 'everything' means 'get on the time machine to see some dude's memories' sure." **Clay said while getting on the Animus.

"**Splendid, that is all you need to know. Just close your eyes, you won't feel a thing…"**

"**Wait, wha-…" **

Clay had tried to ask, but quickly fell asleep thanks to the sedative Vidic had injected.

"**Why would you do that? He was cooperating!" **The girl exclaimed getting next to the Animus so she'd be able to check on Clay's vital signs during the session.

"**I'm afraid we don't have time to waste, and the sooner we get this over with, the better" **Vidic answered, half smiling. Oh how Cameron hated that wicked smile.

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><p>"<strong>Doctor Vidic it's been hours since we started, his vital signs are dropping and the stress the Animus causes won't be helping in getting the memory"<strong>

"**Last time I checked, **_**girl, **_**I was the one in charge of the operation, wasn't I?"**

"**Yes but-"**

"**Keep doing your job."**

Cameron looked worriedly at the clock. 5 pm. They had started at 7 am.

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><p>Vidic had had enough when the memory he wanted was found to be locked and unable to play due to the instability of Clay's state, so he had decided to call it a day.<p>

At 7 pm.

He gathered his papers and headed for the door, giving one last look at the Animus containing Subject 16. That poor man didn't have an idea of what was going to happen to him. Instructing Cameron to take 16 to his bed and leave, he left the laboratory.

Cameron turned off the Animus and shook Clay softly. "**Clay? Are you okay? Clay? Wake up! The Animus isn't a bed, silly…" **She said, getting worried that Vidic had pushed him too far. Sighing and feeling relieved, she saw Clay opening his eyes.

"**What happened? I feel like shit, ugh. You didn't warn me about this making me feel like I just ran a marathon. Did he at least find what he wanted?"** Clay asked while rubbing his eyes. "**No, he didn't…" **Cameron replied sadly. "**Please, let's get you to your bed, you seriously need to rest" **She said while helping him off the Animus and walking a few steps with him trying to get him to his room, but falling on top of him when his knees gave in. "**I'm sorry, I should have done something to get you off that goddamned thing sooner" **Clay watched her say while looking at her eyes. She did seem sincere… Maybe she wasn't as bad as he thought. Cameron tried to get off him but he kept her in place, his face getting closer to hers.

She looked at his eyes then looked away, blushing. She really could not get involved with a subject. Not now, not ever. She knew their fate. Shaking his arms off, she got up and then helped him get up, walking over to the observation room and entering the code. He got on his bed and stared at the ceiling, not answering when Cameron said good night.

That night, when Cameron got to her apartment, she dreamed of him. There wasn't anything Abstergo related nearby, and she felt safe with him.

But even asleep, she knew this would not be the case in real life.


	3. Cave in

Hellooooo everyone :D So glad you're here! Here's the third chapter, I hope you like it as much as I do! I had to drag myself away from the computer so I wouldn't just finish the whole story in this chapter haha.  
>Hmm... for this chapter, I'd suggest listening to(and no I'm not kidding hehe) Minecraft's piano music!<br>There's one in particular, just search in Youtube for "Minecraft Music - Calm Songs # 1"

Special thanks to:

Sheity  
>DestinyIntertwined<br>ThievingUndeadOutlaw  
>LadyRed<br>Tammifire

As always, please review, it's important :D Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my story and my OC.**

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><p>A few days had passed after that incident, and even after Cameron had explained to Vidic the effects of overexposure to the Animus, he didn't understand. He wanted the memory, he <strong>needed <strong>it, no matter what.

She had been helping Clay get to his room everyday after the sessions, since he always ended up exhausted and dizzy. She was worried Vidic was pushing him to his limits, but he wouldn't listen to reason. She figured out damaging the cameras in his room would be good enough for a while, at least Clay would be able to rest better.

Clay had noticed she tried to avoid him as much as she could, and he had begun to take advantage of that. He'd flirt openly with her, creating awkward situations where Cameron would leave the room mumbling half sentences with her face completely red. Not to mention…

Cameron shook his head, remembering to pay attention to the road if she wanted to get in one piece to the labs. Driving always seemed like a chore in this city, the traffic was painfully slow and the drivers seemed to think that honking like there was no tomorrow would help speed it up.

Hearing her cell phone ringing, she pressed the button on the headset.

"**Cameron talking" **

"**Have you found anything about the Apple?" **A man replied, who Cameron recognized as the guy who had put her in the whole Abstergo operation.

"**No, the memory's locked. But Vidic firmly believes Clay's ancestor hid the Apple in the so called Vault."**

"**Understood. You know what to do if they find where it is. You take Kaczmarek and escape from there."**

"**I know, I know. Hey, Wilson… Vidic seems desperate. Like, really really really desperate. He's been keeping Clay in the Animus for hours, sometimes even a whole day. He doesn't care anymore about the subject's well being- not like he did before- but at least he knew their limitations"**

"**That's not good. Just keep an eye on him. Don't do anything that would put you and our operation in danger. I need to leave, please take good care of yourself. Goodbye"**

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><p>Clay laid on his bed staring at the ceiling. He had tried to sleep but it was of no use. He just couldn't. These people were driving him mad, he could feel his sanity disappearing little by little everytime he got on that goddamned machine.<p>

Kicking the covers aside he sat down on the edge of his bed, hands massaging his temples. He needed to get out of here, and soon. Vidic was a madman, and he obviously didn't give a crap about him. He would discard him as soon as he found no further use in him.

It was obvious Vidic only cared about his precious memory, but Clay could still not figure out the way Cameron acted. She seemed to care about him, she helped him and she stayed with him when he was sick and tired from the Animus, but on the other hand she was the one accepting every order from Vidic. You can't be on both sides, and she certainly didn't seem to decide for one.

But Cameron... He liked her. Everytime he opened his eyes after a long Animus session she was right beside him, looking at him with those worried eyes.

What was he supposed to do? Should he trust her?

Could she be trusted?

"**Morning"**

Clay looked behind him and couldn't believe what he saw. Ezio Auditore, standing right in his room. But… Something was off… He looked almost see through, and his whole body was glowing in a light blue. Shaking his head and rubbing his eyes, Clay thought he had lost it for good. When he opened his eyes, Ezio was gone.

Closing the door behind her, Cameron looked beside her, trying to see what Clay was observing, but found nothing. "**Clay? Is everything alright?" **She walked towards him and waved her hand in front of his face. Looking behind her she tried to find the thing that had him like this, but she couldn't see anything.

Clay looked at Cameron, and she could see the shock in his eyes. **"I saw Ezio. I swear I saw him, he was standing right there! I saw him I swear! He ju- just disappeared!"**

"_Crap. I knew this would happen. The Animus has taken its toll on him" _Cameron thought. **"Clay… sit down, try to calm down. I believe you. What you just saw… It's called the Bleeding Effect. You start seeing your ancestors' memories without the need of an Animus. It's not… not good news. It mostly happens when you've been exposed to the Animus for long periods of time. Most subjects end up… end up going crazy."**

"_**What? **_**What am I supposed to do then? Vidic won't give a damn about this and will just make me go on that stupid thing again! What is going to happen to me? Am I just supposed to take it and continue like nothing happened? That's just dandy, really, could I at least have a Hallmark card or something? "**_**Sorry we fucked you up. Love, Abstergo." "**_

Clay stood up and kicked the side of the bed while Cameron buried her face between her hands. She should have seen this coming. It had happened to every patient before him, but she had hoped he would be different, that he would resist. Maybe, just maybe Vidic would find that goddamn memory and they could escape and end this all.

"**I'm… I'm so sorry, I should've-"**

"**Stop saying you're sorry! It's your fault too! You're the one who helps him after all. You're just as guilty as**_** him"**_

"**Don't say that"**

"**Why not huh? The deaths of the other subjects are just as much in your hands as they are in his-"**

"**STOP IT! Do you think I **_**want **_**this? Do you think I **_**like**_** helping him? I wouldn't even be here if the decision was up to me. I hate not being able to do anything to help you, I hate seeing you like this and not being able to do anything at all! I'm just fucking useless in this place and YES I feel guilty for not helping all those subjects but-" **Cameron's voice started to tremble. She was trying to hold back the tears but she couldn't do it. She had killed the subjects by not helping them, by just standing there following orders.

"**I don't know what to do"**

The room fell in silence, neither Cameron or Clay knew what to say. Cameron was on the floor, her back to the bed and hugging her knees while her face was buried between them, she hadn't stopped sobbing. She had had enough of Abstergo, she had had enough of the Creed.

Feeling a hand on her shoulder she looked up startled to see Clay crouching next to her. Cameron doubted about doing it at first, but figured nothing else could go worse. She hugged Clay tightly with her arms around his neck mumbling apologizes between every sob.

Taking him for surprise, Clay clumsily put his hand on the back of her head. Seeing her so vulnerable, so delicate was unusual. He moved her head softly so she was looking at him. Cupping her cheek, his thumb brushing over her lips, he moved closer to her. He could feel her warm breath on his lips getting closer as their lips almost touched. Closing the small space between them, Cameron moved her face forward. The kiss was intense, desperate, both not wanting to miss a moment. He was just as frustrated as her, he needed this just as much as she did. Tangling his fingers in her hair he deepened the kiss, feeling her cheeks, wet from crying, on his.

With both her hands on each side of his face, Cameron stopped the kiss. She stared at his eyes, still processing what had happened. Wiping her tears from her cheeks, she leaned in closer to him and said:

"**I'm getting you out of here"**


End file.
